[center]
[h2]Phantasm[/h2]
[/center]

[u]Location: Unknown, Tenebrae[/u]
[i][color=lightgray]Time: Late Morning[/color][/i]
[@Estylwen]

Gloria's eyes flicked back and forth between Myriad and Arc, checking to see if either of them had noticed her toss the tracking chip through the portal. Surprisingly both had looked back at the banner; apparently none the wiser.

Myriad shrugged. "Mmm, I dunno. It was Mr. Chronos' idea."

Almost as if summoned by the mention of his name, the steel double doors Chronos had vanished through swung open. Standing on the other side was Chronos, but the thing that really drew her eye was the elaborate triple decker cake he carried in his arms. His IV stand dragged along behind him, one of the wheels squeaking. He held the tube of it in his teeth to prevent the force ripping the needle out of his arm.

Even through her mask Gloria could see Myriad's eyes grow to the size of dish plates. "Oh my god, sir." She rushed forward to take the cake from Chronos as he looked like he was barely managing to balance it. "If you wanted to impress a lady, you know chocolates wo—"

Chronos gave her a scathing look and she trailed off. Gloria wouldn't have called the look in Chronos' eye anger but it seemed as though Myriad had crossed a line with such an innocent turn of phrase. She wondered if maybe Chronos had lost someone if the suggestion that he was trying to impress a woman was so distasteful to him.

Myriad backed it up, sounding, for the first time since Gloria had met her, unsure. "I'm uh, sure Phantasm will love it. Right, partner?"

She glanced at Gloria, looking for support but not being entirely sure of the dynamic playing out in front of her Gloria instead just shrugged.

Myriad looked a little dejected but turned back to Chronos, asking in the slightly pleading tone of a kid unsure if they're in trouble "Is it too much?"

Arc interjected, pressing his hand to his forehead in frustration. "Why are you asking him when the answer is obvious?"

"I dunno, maybe this time he'll explain himself." she shot back.

"You know he hasn't for a very, very long time."

Myriad put her hands out, shaking them excitedly. "Oh, but where's your sense of adventure?"

Chronos loudly cleared his throat, interrupting the developing squabble between them. They turned sharply to look at him. He rubbed his throat in a manner that Gloria would almost have described as self-conscious before he spoke.

"She's one of us."

Gloria cocked her head to the side staring at him. She'd been toying with the theory that he wasn't able to speak, whether because he was deaf or nonverbal. Evidently she wasn't the only one surprised that he actually spoke. Both Arc and Myriad stared at him slack-jaw before Myriad elbowed Arc in the stomach, murmuring. "Forgot how nice he sounded."

"Huh," Gloria said from behind her mask. "I was beginning to think I'd have to brush up on my sign language for you."

Ignoring her Arc shook his head at what Chronos had claimed. "She's a Valkyrie, Chronos."

Chronos looked at him pointedly, almost as if Arc had made his point for him.

Arc pressed the bridge of his nose, eyes screwed shut. "Chronos. That agreement was disbanded with the new king."

Gloria has the distinct impression that she was listening to half a conversation. Maybe the three of them were very good at reading each other. When a crew worked together long enough they generally learned how to communicate in as few words as needed. But another part of her wondered if maybe [i]that[/i] was Chronos' specialty, if he was a telepath.

The thought did not appeal to her. She didn't like the idea of other people rooting around in her head.

Myriad put her hand on Arc's shoulder. "Relax, Chronos is just fond of the old queen. I don't blame him. She was a beautiful leader until she, ahm, had to..."

A dense silence settled over the room. Each of them looked pained, the kind of look one gets when a dead loved one unexpectedly crops up in conversation.

Gloria was the one to break the silence. "I suppose this is one of those times when I'm supposed to let the subject drop?" she paused. "Yeah well, I've never been very good at that. So who's this queen and why isn't she on the throne anymore? Where'd this 'new king' of yours come from?"

She felt safe enough asking questions. The most they'd glean from it was that details didn't slip by her notice. If they'd been surveilling her for this job for as long as it seemed, they'd already know that she paid close attention to all the angles.

Myriad smiled teasingly. “What, you mean they don't teach that in Valkyrie class anymore?” Arc gave her a warning look, and she shrugged nonchalantly. “What? She has a right to know. Besides, you explain it better than me.”

Arc rubbed his temples. “You're a constant pain in my side, you know?”

He turned his silver eyes on Gloria, leaning forward. “Alright. Phantasm, you'll like this story. The queen, Chronos and I were causing some problems for you people. Many clashes led up to a fateful day. Against the black of night, Hel and the Queen with their small armies faced off in a battle that caused the city a year’s worth of construction. I'm not sure how, but we withdrew as the dawn broke, and she told us ‘If you see a Valkyrie, consider them as family.' 

“King Astra changed that when he took charge, but, Chronos, well,“ Arc glanced at Chronos, he seemed to be choosing his words very carefully. “He has always been most dutiful towards her.”

Chronos cleared his throat again, closing his eyes and turning away. Arc and Myriad shared a worried glance before Myriad’s eyes darted around desperately, and she found the sparklers. When Chronos took them from her, the only noticeable change she saw was the mist in his eyes as he stabbed the cake. The click of a zippo, and a fizzle of party lights filled the room.

Arc folded his arms as he stood beside Phantasm, watching the sparks fall like comets. His voice was hushed, eyeing Chronos. “As for the King, he stepped up because he needed to when she was no longer fit for duty. Where he came from before that is anyone's guess.”

Myriad silently let the black matter curl around her arm and suddenly there were two sparklers in her hands. Gloria wasn't entirely sure if they'd been materialized by the black goop, transported from another location, or simply hidden up Myriad's sleeve for dramatic effect. Chronos slowly took them from her, his face was set in a hard line as he pressed them into the top of the cake. If the prospect of him impressing a woman was such a sore subject, she imagined she'd just found out who he'd lost that made it so.

The heavy atmosphere of the moment seemed to burn away as Chronos flicked out a zippo, lighting both sparklers in one fluid motion. They started to fizzle, throwing dancing sparks into the air as the magnesium burned.

Myriad rearranged her face into a smile. "You're right, Mr. Chronos. We're here to celebrate our new collaborator, not make her cry," she laughed, eyes peering jokingly at Gloria.

And there was that feeling again that Gloria had of hearing half a conversation. Maybe it was just that the other three had context for the subject that she didn't, or maybe Chronos had told her not to speak of it telepathically. Time would tell. It didn't quite explain his name though. Arc, she was positive, created lightning. Myriad's power seemed so multifaceted that it was impossible to quantify, which made her name fitting. So what did the Greek version of Father Time have to do with Chronos' abilities?

He pressed a slice of the chocolate cake into her hand and seeing it up close she realized it was homemade. It looked moist and delicious and she stared at it for a solid ten seconds. 

She knew what Lady Hel, what Quinn, even what her parents would have said about eating food from strangers but she glanced at the rest of them, Myriad was enthusiastically gulping down her slice cake like it was more liquid than solid. If they wanted to kill her they had all the fire power they needed to do it right here. Besides which, they needed her for this mission of there's. There was no reason the cake wouldn't be safe.

She reached up a hand, pushing her hood back and touched the clip at the top of her mask. With a click it split away from her face and she placed it in her bag. She still struck a nice figure in her leather clothes and ragged cloak but she looked more human without the mask.

She sliced a section of the cake off neatly with a fork and pressed it to her mouth. It was delicious. Just as moist as it had looked, it almost seemed to melt on her tongue.

Her eyes flicked down away from the others. She hadn't really had birthdays growing up. Not since she was very young, not since Cassandra has been born. No one had made her cake, hung banners for her, none of that stuff that kids were supposed to get. She knew this was all phoney. These people weren't her friends, at best they were her employers and depending on how Lady Hel reacted, they could easily become her enemies. But still, it was nice to sit around and eat cake that had been made just for her.

While Myriad inhaled her cake, Gloria ate hers neatly, piece by piece. As much as she might look rough and tumble, she'd grown up in a nice household, one where table manners were reinforced. It was a habit she hadn't really shaken.

After she was sure that at least one of them had finished enough cake that they wouldn't have their mouths full she said "So," the question phrased as casually as possible. "What'd Eos mean by the chemicals in your fancy snorkel 'activating'. What exactly does 'unsafe' mean?"

Arc's silver eyes flicked from his cake which he seemed to be enjoying very begrudgingly to Gloria. He put his boots up on the table and set his plate to one side. "Chlorine gas." Gloria eyes widened. "It's a by-product of the compound. That kind of stuff will cause acute pneumonitis, which means medical attention."

"Thanks Arc, I do know what chlorine gas is. I am a little more than just a pretty face." She also knew it was really easy to generate the stuff by mixing all the cleaning chemicals under the sink together in a vat but that was a story for another time.

Myriad giggled, wrinkling her nose. "Geez, even I wouldn't want to snorkel with that."

Arc gave a condescending grunt. "The device is safe if used properly."

Gloria smirked. "Easy for you to say, you aren't the one that has to wear it."

"Actually, you'd be surprised," Arc said. "There have been many devices that have blown up in my face, and it's always from misuse." He turned to Myriad. "It's at least safer than most everything you do."

She smiled. "Still mad?"

"That's certainly a way to put it."

"Well. Cool people like me have a 'get out of jail free card'. And ya wanna know what qualifies as 'cool' nowadays? Getting phased through by hers truly." She gestured at Gloria, gracefully deflecting Arc's annoyance and swooning theatrically, "Ah, like the electrifying touch of a Tesla globe."

A subtle smile tugged at the corners of Gloria's lips. Myriad really was quite endearing.

Chronos seemed to stifle a laugh, causing Arc to grimace in annoyance. "Come on, man. Who's side are you on?" It seemed like he was often on the outs with these two, but in a friendly way, almost like family. At least how family was supposed to be.

They chatted for a few minutes as everyone finished their cake. Meaningless barbs and jokes mostly. When the cake was gone Arc nodded towards the briefcase Eos had given her. "I'll, uh, give you a call when the mission is ready to start."

She nodded. "Right."

Myriad gave an exaggerated pout, but Arc held up his hand before she could speak. "No, Myriad. I'm sure Phantasm wants to be back home, and you have a lot of work to do before tonight. Plus, you and I have to talk on this whole 'leaving without consent' thing."

Myriad's pout turned into a wide grin, "Sir, I can happily inform you that won't be changing anytime soon."

Chronos stifled another laugh. Arc rolled his eyes, gesturing to Myriad with a loose hand. "Alright, alright."

Myriad nodded. "Yes, sir."

Gloria stood her ground, not joining the leaving party quite yet. "A question before I go Arc, what was that stuff you let loose at Haven? Two of my girls breathed it in. Do I need to be worried about them, is there something that need be done for them, or is it too late for them and I should skip to the vengeance fuelled making you dead now?"

Arc stared at her appraisingly for several seconds, she guessed deciding how much to tell her. Then he lifted a gloved hand. Just as it had back at Haven, the cloth around his fingers tips blurred ever so slightly and then began to dissolve. She reflexively sucked in and held a breath but rather than scattering as it had the night before the dust flowed down his hand, collected in his palm. It looked like ash or fine dust.

“This is what they breathed in, and it's processed like any foreign contaminant in the body. It will be flushed from their system after twenty-four hours.”

He gave the dust a small shuffle in his hand. “In short, yes, they’re fine.”

She noticed how he very deliberately didn't tell her what the dust did, only that it didn't stay in the body.

Myriad nudged Gloria with her elbow, breaking the appraising stare she had locked onto Arc. "What do you think? Wanna head out?"

Gloria nodded. "I'd say its time, but this was fun." Myriad held out her hand, the black ball was already in her hand, and she shot it behind them, opening a gateway. Rays of sunlight slipped through the grey sky, painting the mirror of Cloud Gate.

Gloria paused for a second waiting to see if Myriad was planning on accompanying her or was simply opening the door the way she has for Eos. When Myriad didn't make any move towards the portal Gloria said "Would you mind stepping out with me? There's something I'd like to ask you." she glanced between Chronos and Arc. "In private. Don't worry boys, she'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Myriad chortled. “Of course I'm going with you. What kind of host would I be if it were otherwise?”

She turned around, humming from the other side of the gateway, "Though I don't know who's the host today. Is the one who serves cake the actual host? Or is the friend the host?" Her voice sounded strange coming from an open space and echoing into an enclosed room.

Myriad shrugged at her own question, waiting for Gloria to follow her through the portal. Just before she left the underground compound, she looked back towards Arc. She motioned to his neck at the places where he'd been burned by her cocktail.

"I'd try some alovera on that stuff. Works wonders." She said with a sly smile before she disappeared through the portal. 

On the other side, after Myriad had collapsed the gate back into the black ball Gloria spoke. "What's your group, the [i]Shadow Knights[/i]', relation to the Valkyries? Chronos spoke like they're friends but I've never heard anyone back home mention you before. These people, they're like family to me. I appreciate the money but I'd like to know that this isn't going to blow back on them."

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[h2][color=black]Lady Hel[/color][/h2]
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[u][url=https://goo.gl/maps/FpH6B4XGad6hC8ic6]Love Street[/url][/u]
[i]Lincoln Park, Tenebrae[/i]
[i][color=lightgray]Time: Late Morning[/color][/i]
[@Blizz]

The bartender, a pretty girl in her early twenties set a Vesper Martini on the bar by Hel's hand. It was nice to go somewhere they knew your order. "On the house, ma'am," she said dutifully, avoiding looking Hel in the eye. Her voice was steady but flat, the way people who are trying not to panic sound. Hel couldn't blame the poor girl.

She dipped her pinkie into the drink and for an uncomfortable beat she looked at her nailpolish. When it remained the same effervescent black she sucked the alcohol off her finger and picked up the glass. "Thank you so much Miss Hallett."

She took a sip from the drink and turned her attention back to Rainsinger. He nodded at her in return.

”Mmm. It’s been a while, [i]Helasdottir.[/i] Hasn’t it?” She hadn't heard that name in a long time. A nickname he'd given here the few times they'd worked together so long ago. He said it in vaguely European accent, calm and seemingly unconcerned with the aura she brought with her. He had for as long as she'd known him been cool, verging on indifferent. She hadn't expected that to have changed. ”You sound... different. New cover?” He said with a joking smile.

She smiled back, hers much less warm, more like the grin of a shark. "Ah, you're right. I had almost forgotten. I suppose back in the day I sounded a little less [i]proper[/i]. In my line of work the illusion of class overcomes many difficulties. After all, perception is everything."

As she said the word [i]perception[/i], the darkest shadows in the room seemed to open unblinking red eyes, their bloodshot gazes staring at Rainsinger. In the blink of an eye they were gone, so briefly visible that Rain might question if he'd seen them at all, at least he might if he didn't know who he was sitting next to. No one else reacted to the sight, they were for his enjoyment along. 

She took another sip of her drink before continuing. "Word was, you managed to burn yourself to death."

”You sound surprised. You know me better than that-“ His tone was coy, almost snarky. She'd frightened men who spoke like that to her to death before. He was different, there was a certain amount of irreverence she could tolerate from such an old friend, but only so much. ”You don’t think I’d die in a fire, do you? That guy? Even if old Sparky wanted to trap me for real, you think he’d hold a candle to me? Know what, don’t answer that.” He downed half of his drink in one breath; ever the sailor.

"No," she agreed. "I didn't really believe you'd died, even when I had people swearing to me that nothing could have gotten out of that fire alive. I figured you'd gone, I figured you wouldn't come back. It might have been wiser if you had stayed away."

”Anyway, what I just heard, something rough’s goin’ on around here. Never changes, I guess. How’s the gang doing? You ever take over for [i]Jörm[/i] while I was out, or did someone take the man’s seat after he died?” 

She smiled. "I'm not sure I'd call it a gang at this point. Back then we were what, a half dozen rogues. Huddled together in abandoned warehouses to keep the rain off. Taking whatever jobs were available and working with whoever we had to to make sure we didn't starve. Most of use were scared kids. It's not like that anymore. The Valkyries are part of this city, woven into fabric of it. This is my city. It's a safe place for us and ours. At least, safer than it was when we were at its mercy. But I do wonder, what [i]are[/i] you doing here after so many years? Homesickness finally catch up with you?"